The Opportunity Development Center, Vanderbilt University

Equity at Work

The ODC has developed interactive workshops and other programs that address subject matter in the following areas: Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action, Sexual Harassment, Diversity, Cross-cultural Communication, and Employing Persons with Disabilities. We encourage the University community to allow our department to assist them in addressing issues of equal opportunity and affirmative action that may arise in the workplace. For more information or to schedule a workshop please call the ODC, 322-4705.

Alphabet Soup: EEO/AA Training for Supervisors and Managers:
This training seminar is the perfect vehicle to ensure that as a manager and supervisor at Vanderbilt, you are "up-to-speed" on critical employment law issues. Participants will gain a better understanding of how to comply with Vanderbilt's EEO/AA requirements, hear the latest information about the ADA and disability issues and experiences, and discuss and examine the tools needed to manage the growing diversity of the workforce.

Identify each supervisor's responsibilities under the University's Affirmative Action Plan
Discuss the principles of EEO/AA
Review the applicable laws
Examine elements of Vanderbilt's Affirmative Action Plan

Sexual Harassment Workshop
This customized training program is designed to instruct all Vanderbilt faculty, students, and staff about the University's policy on sexual harassment. In this workshop participants will:

Review and discuss federal regulations
Examine sexual harassment case studies
Develop intervention strategies
Develop prevention strategies

Preparing for Diversity Workshop
Studies show that the American work force is changing. Women, people of color, foreign born individuals, older workers, and persons with disabilities will comprise over seventy-five percent of new entrants in the labor force by the year 2000. All hiring personnel and supervisors need to be prepared for new challenges and management opportunities. Participants will:

Examine demographic trends and their impact on the workplace
Discuss the key concepts of communicating across cultures
Discuss the kinds of cross-cultural miscommunication that may occur in a diverse workplace

Cross-cultural Communication Workshop
How do I communicate with my customers, peers, staff, managers, supervisors? Am I an effective communicator? Do I get my point across? Do I listen to what others are saying? It is believed that communication often leads to success or failure on the job. Success can be obtained through actively participating in this hands-on and interactive workshop. In this practical workshop, new and experienced staff will learn techniques for communicating effectively across real or perceived barriers. Participants will:

Analyze personal communication styles.
Discuss the importance of sender and receiver roles in effective communication.
Understand the importance of clear communication, without biases.
Recognize differences in communication between genders.
Work toward understanding communication in the multicultural workplace.

Disability Law 101
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides new opportunities for employers. This program is design to help supervisors become better prepared to evaluate applicants and vacant positions in light of the ADA and other applicable laws. In this workshop participants will:

Discuss different types of disabilities
Examine job descriptions to assess essential functions
Investigate types of reasonable accommodations
Evaluate case studies of accommodations in the workplace
Discuss any other disability-related issue that may be department-specific

Opportunity Development Center
P.O. Box 1809, Station B
Nashville, TN 37235
(615) 322-4705 (V/TDD)

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